News Stories

USACE Carters Lake Receives ‘Handshake Partnership’ Grant

USACE, Mobile District
Published Feb. 10, 2021
Carters Handshake

Carters Handshake

MOBILE, Ala. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project at Carters Lake is pleased to announce that it has been selected for a 2021 Corps of Engineers Handshake Partnership Program $25,000 grant.

The Handshake Partnership grant funding will be used to partner with Kennesaw State University (KSU), providing the Carters Lake Project with engaging Virtual Reality immersive experiences for its visitors, including holographic imagery and interactive touch panel displays.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Handshake Program, developed in 2004, offers a source of seed money to USACE facilities to initiate or enhance existing recreation and natural resources partnership opportunities with local organizations. The funding also encourages local organizations to partner with USACE to construct, operate, and/or maintain local partnering projects.

“One of the most unique interpretive programs in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers… From virtual reality to viewing the stars, we will be reaching new visitors and providing an outlet for STEM learning for many years to come,” said George McBroom, Carters Lake Park Ranger.

Expanding our visitor experiences into exciting modern and engaging technologies gives USACE Projects like Carters Lake the opportunity to bridge together technology gaps between younger and older generations for the purposes of understanding natural world and cultural history, according to McBroom.

“It may not be what is traditionally viewed as recreation. There are many recreation users who will enjoy the "video game" like learning experience of the VR (Virtual Reality), especially children. This project is about helping USACE to grab the interest of its visitors in a new and modern way, while making the visitor center a destination,” said McBroom 

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With an area of operation across Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and northern Florida, and a vast military region that includes operations across Central and South America, the Mobile District’s award- winning teams of engineering, construction, regulatory and emergency management professionals are nationally recognized for their leadership in delivery of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works and military programs missions to the Nation.

 

     

 

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